TORONTO -- Figuring out what’s allowed through airport security can be a confusing task. However the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) want you to know there’s an app for that.
The CATSA mobile app ‘Breeze through security’ has a searchable database that includes everything from deodorant to slingshots. A complete description of quantities, restrictions and exceptions for specific items are all listed within the app.
The app also provides travellers with security wait times for 14 Canadian airports and has a section on travel tips. It also allows users to create their own travel check list.
“You can enter the name of the item you’re planning to travel with, for example cannabis, and you get the list here telling you that you’re allowed the legal limit if you fly domestically (30 grams for recreational and up to 150 grams for medical) and then it tells you also not to cross international borders with it,” Christine Langlois, a spokesperson for CATSA, said.
Some of the strangest items CATSA officers have found include a dozen eggs, brass knuckles and circular saws.
“We saw once also a sword which was hidden in a cane,” Langlois added.
However, the most commonly prohibited items are liquids.
“It’s a question of quantity,” Langlois said.
Many liquids, aerosols and gels are prohibited, but can be accepted in small amounts. This is where the information in the CATSA app can really make a difference.
Around this time of year, Langlois also wants to remind holiday travellers not to take wrapped gifts through security.
“As much as we like unwrapping gifts, we much prefer not to unwrap yours.”
The CATSA app is available for IOS and Android operating systems.
